Mount Fuji and Sagami bay
Matsumura Goshun attributed to
Japan 1752-1811
Shijō School
Japan active late 18th - 19th century
Mount Fuji and Sagami bay c 1800 Kyoto, Japan gold and ink on paper
Purchased 2014 2014.2687.A-B
In Chinese and Japanese painting and calligraphy the concept of ma is an important compositional element. Ma is the essential void or interval between all things. It is the space that gives shape and balance to the whole. The concept of ma has informed the way space and form are considered in the works of many minimalist artists, including the American artists Donald Judd and Sol LeWitt.
In this work, the eye is drawn across wide space between the form of Mount Fuji and the shores of Sagami Bay, Japan. Matsumura Goshun has combined the concept of ma with elements of the naturalistic Shijō school style of his teacher, Maruyama Okyo, and the style of Japanese nanga painting. The nanga school of painting was inspired by Chinese ink painting that evoked the rhythm and essence of the landscape, rather than depicting it realistically.
Mount Fuji and Sagami bay
Matsumura Goshun attributed to
Japan 1752-1811
Shijō School
Japan active late 18th - 19th century
Mount Fuji and Sagami bay c 1800 Kyoto, Japan gold and ink on paper
Purchased 2014 2014.2687.A-B
In Chinese and Japanese painting and calligraphy the concept of ma is an important compositional element. Ma is the essential void or interval between all things. It is the space that gives shape and balance to the whole. The concept of ma has informed the way space and form are considered in the works of many minimalist artists, including the American artists Donald Judd and Sol LeWitt.
In this work, the eye is drawn across wide space between the form of Mount Fuji and the shores of Sagami Bay, Japan. Matsumura Goshun has combined the concept of ma with elements of the naturalistic Shijō school style of his teacher, Maruyama Okyo, and the style of Japanese nanga painting. The nanga school of painting was inspired by Chinese ink painting that evoked the rhythm and essence of the landscape, rather than depicting it realistically.